


Dream A Little Dream Of Me

by SweetPotato



Category: Black-ish (TV), In the Heights - Miranda
Genre: Everything will work out, Fluff, I promise, M/M, Semi-unrequited love, They Met In Highschool AU, old flame
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2018-10-30 05:18:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10869909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetPotato/pseuds/SweetPotato
Summary: After having a dream about an old crush from high school, Johan decides to be a bit impulsive.





	1. Shades Of Orange

Johan stood a door, a metal one that opens right onto a cement sidewalk littered with dried gum and cigarette buds. He smiled to himself, and with a sure and steady hand reached up to knock, once, twice, three times in rapid succession. In almost no time flat he was face to face with a tired looking dominican boy, peach fuzz dusting his upper lip.

 

As soon as he opened the door the entire atmosphere seemed to get warmer, and not as in climate change warm, but the kind of warmth that makes you feel shades of orange and red.

 

“Morning honey bun, you look handsome as always.” Johan chuckled, grabbing the other's hand naturally to lead him out the doorway.

 

“I’m sure you say that to all the boys on the block.” The boy retorted, squeezing the offered hand while closing the door behind them.

 

“Only if it were a block full of your clones.” Johan planted a little kiss on the boy’s dark hair, he gives a little laugh and leans into Johan. They walk five blocks in the most comfortable silence, neither saying anything, but giving Johan the fulfilling feeling of a conversation. Once they reach their destination, a gigantic building that read  _ Washington Heights High,  _ they turned to each other, Johan capturing the boy’s other hand to bring them both up to his lips to kiss.

 

“See you after classes, my love.” He said softly, but not letting go of the smaller, colder hands.

 

Smiling up at him, his dark eyes seemed to sparkle, before saying, “Don’t forget to wake up,  _ mi amor _ .”

  
  


“Huh?”  Johan opened his eyes, not to see that adorable hispanic boy, but a boring beige ceiling. God he hated that ceiling. 

 

It had been a long time since he had that dream, five years maybe? He knew the first time was ten years ago, right after his family drifted out of New York and into Philadelphia, they had only stayed in that trailer park for one semester of his junior year, and it only took half that time for him to fall hard and fast for the boy in his dreams, he couldn't quite remember his name, he recalled that there was something funny about it though.

 

Johan hopped out of bed and made his way into the kitchen, where his sister was making pancakes, and oldest niece was doing homework at the table.

 

“Johan, you're never up this early, are you alright?” Bow asked, mock concern evident in her tone.

 

“Yeah I’m fine, but I have a weird question.” He said, stealing a small pancake from the pile next to the stove.

 

“Trust me, it can’t be any weirder than Junior asking me how they re-fry refried beans if they are already in a can.” She chuckled, poking at the fluffy circle on the frying pan.

 

“Right...Well I was just wondering, do you remember how I spent a little time in New York my senior year of high school?”

 

“How could I forget, you called me every other day to complain about how cold it was.”

 

“It was snowing in October, it was _ ridiculous _ .” He argued, “Anyway, do you remember me mentioning someone to you, some short dominican guy with a weird name?”

 

“I’m going to ignore the irony of someone from our family making fun of someone else's name, but yes I do. I remember I was home with Zoey when she was 8 and had that horrible virus, and you called to tell me all about your little crush on him, going on and on about his messy hair, and how his smile, quote on quote,  _ outshined the sun _ .” She looked up at the sky with raised hands.

 

“What can I say, I’ve always had a flair for the dramatic. Anyway, do you remember his name though?”

 

“Yeah, it had something to do with a boat right? Started with a U or N or…”

 

“US Navy!” Johan quickly recollected.

 

“His name was not US Navy, no one's parents are that mean.”

“No, no, I remember now, when his parents were coming to the US from the dominican republic they saw US Navy on the side of a boat, and thought it was the name of the boat, so they named him Usnavi.” He explained, stuffing half a pancake into his maw.

 

“Wow, you remember all that?”

 

“Well I’m sorry that I have such an impeccable memory.” Johan gestured to himself with a flowy arm motion.

 

“It's a little creepy.” She pinched two fingers together.

 

“No it’s not, it's thoughtful and romantic.”

 

“Did you ever actually tell him how you felt?”

 

“No, we left after one semester remember? I had this big hallmark romantic gesture planned, I was going to come back to the heights after I graduated to confess my undying, hormone hyped love for him. Alas my genius stifled my thoughtful plan. After I got into my first choice college, I had to start working, and then suddenly got offered that job in France... I guess somewhere along the way I just forgot about my old flame. Too bad for him too, because  _ boy  _ did I grow into my looks." Johan complimented himself. He was showing some false confidence, due to the fact that the thought of him just up and forgetting a boy who had meant so much to him at one point, that thought genuinely scared him.

 

"Yeah, poor him." Bow scoffed, "I wonder if he remembers you, probably not."

 

"What do you mean, who could ever forget someone with my aura?"

 

"What you think some guy you knew in highschool for one semester, and had a secret crush on, is going to remember you?"

 

"Everyone remembers me."

 

"Welp, I have an idea that will prove mom wrong, and help myself in the process." Zoey spoke up, they both turned to look at her, seeming to forget that she was within earshot that whole time. She smiled at the siblings, lipgloss shimmering in the morning sunlight glaring through the window.

 

"Yes, what would such a great plan be, my princess?"

 

"Well, I  _ have _ been wanting to visit NYU's campus for a while."

 

"I am not flying you to New York with your uncle to prove his petty point about a guy he met ten years ago."

 

"Hold on a second Bow, I think the girl may be onto something, not about my  _ petty _ point, but what other opportunity will I have to bond with my niece before she leaves us for the adult world?” Johan shifts his position to be on the offensive with Zoey, seeing a shot, and not being willing to throw it away.


	2. Panic, It Just Might Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are people even still interested in this ship? I know I am!

When Johan was not sleeping on the obscenely long plane ride to New York, he was trying to recall more about his brief time with Usnavi, and what had drawn Johan to him in the first place. The first thing that came to mind was how hard working Usnavi was, in and outside of school. He was never the smartest by any means, and didn’t claim or want to be, he just wanted to graduate high school, and for a lot of people that is a lot easier said than done. He remembered hanging out with Usnavi on a park bench under a tree, trying to help him with his english project, yeah, he remembered, they started hanging out because their teacher asked Johan to help Usnavi with his essay, in return for some extra credit on his part.

Once they got to the New York airport, Zoey showed Johan how to use his new Uber app and then ordered one to take them to the hotel. By the time they got to the hotel it was pretty late at night. While Zoey took off her makeup and changed into her pajamas in the bathroom, Johan lit some chakra candles and changed from his casual palazzo pants to his sleeping ones.

Zoey walked out of the bathroom, looked at the candles, and sighed, “Promise me that you won’t burn down the hotel until after I visit the campus.” She plops down on her bed and starts messing with the alarm clock next to it.

“My dear niece, I have burned many a candle in my day, I think I can manage not to destroy this hotel for one week.” He gets onto the middle of his bed and sits in a criss crossed position, getting ready to a quick fifteen minute meditation before sleeping.

“Right,” she says, tying her hair up, “So what is your plan anyway?”

“You cannot plan things like this, you have to let the universe guild you.” He takes one deep breath in and then out.

“Tell me how that works out for you.” Zoey clicks off her bedside lamp and lies down, leaving the room around Johan dark except for the flickering candles.

It occurs to Johan, after he dropped Zoey off at NYU and took an Uber to Washington Heights, that maybe he shouldn't have let the universe take the reins on this one. 

As he stood there, a faint smell of urine in the air, and at least three different songs being blast through separate windows, he wonders how he thought this was going to go. What, did he think that once he stepped out of that car Usnavi would just be standing there waiting? Did Johan not consider that the boy he knew ten whole years ago could have moved, got married, or maybe even died of some illness or accident? He felt the trembling of panic begin in his chest, but he tried to push it down, reminding himself that even if Usnavi was not there, or was unavailable, that he was there for a reason, one only the universe knew and could predict. His destiny that day could have been to save a dying woman on the street, or possibly even be dying on that same street himself, either way he had to be okay with it, because there was no other way to be.

With a hand on his chest he began to crouch down, attempting to contain his anxiety, counting backwards in french under his breath. That was when he heard a voice from behind.

“Hey dude, you alright?” A deep and concerned voice asked. He stood up and turned around to see a man only a little shorter than himself, which was an oddity in itself. With his white button up and black tie he looked like a professional of some kind, with short curly locks clinging closely to his head, thick brows knitted.

“Ah, yeah, kind of?” He scratched the back of his head, looking down at the man, “I was looking for someone, but then I realised that I have no idea where they’d be.” He gave a brief chuckle, knowing how ridiculous that sounded. The man's face turned from concerned to skeptical.

“Oh, alright, well do you know if they live around here?” Johan looked around, thinking he would somehow find the answer to the guys question.

“Uh, well he used to, I haven’t been back here in a long time…” He trailed off, with every word realising more and more of how much of a long shot this whole plan was.

“Well people ‘round here don’t move much, and I know pretty much everyone, so if ya got a name I may be able to help you.” Oh, this guy is so nice, Johan thought, maybe the caricatures of New Yorkers on TV were just poppycock after all.

“If you say so, his name is Usnavi, we went to highschool together a while back.” There was silence for a beat, the man looking Johan up and down before speaking.

“Usnavi? As in De la vega?” He asked in some sort of disbelief.

“Well I don’t actually remember his last name, but there can’t be that many Usnavis, can there?” Maybe Johan misunderstood the popularity of that name in New York…

“No, I guess not,” he straightens his tie, “Yeah he still lives here, just down this street actually.” He turns and points an arm in the right direction, “He runs that little bodega down the way.”Johan was really trying not to get his hopes up, but when he heard those words his heart betrayed him with a loud flutter, his throat tightened as he looked at the worn out green awning down the way.

“Well I’ll be…” He muttered, he turned back towards the man, “Thank you so much, have a beautiful day.” he said quickly before walking past him, determination thick in his veins. With every step his heart thumped a little louder in his ears, it was odd, he had not felt nervousness like this the entire way there, taking a logical step back the whole time, thinking that if it were meant to be it would be, but he felt something else now, something stronger. Without realising it, by the time he had his hand on that filthy cold metal door handle, he had decided that if available, Usnavi would be his, weather the universe liked it or not. Johan was 28, desperate for love, and going to grab this opportunity by the horns.


End file.
